Psalm 118:14-24
14 The LORD is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.
15 There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the LORD does valiantly;
16 the right hand of the LORD is exalted;
the right hand of the LORD does valiantly.”
17 I shall not die, but I shall live
and recount the deeds of the LORD.
18 The LORD has punished me severely,
but he did not give me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the LORD’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.[a]

John 20:1-18
20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’s head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed, 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes.
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look[a] into the tomb, 12 and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir,[b] if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew,[c] “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Joy Comes with the Morning
It’s Easter Sunday. Last week I put away my snowblower. Winter is over. Spring is here.
In Psalm 30, the Psalmist writes, “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” We see this with Mary Magdalene, in her transformation from sorrow to joy.
Our sorrow is temporary. Our suffering is temporary. Winter does not last forever because spring arrives. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. When Mary recognizes the Risen Christ, her sorrow immediately turns to joy. She sees him and calls out, “Rabbouni!” “My Rabbi, my teacher, my Lord!”
In difficult times, in the dark night of the soul, it may seem like the sorrow and the suffering will never end. Christ on the cross experienced this dark night of the soul, too, when he called out in his despair, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” Christ endured this tremendous suffering and arose on the third day. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
Perhaps you are going through a Dark Night of the Soul. Perhaps you are struggling, suffering with a burden. Pray to Jesus and allow Him to love you and forgive you. Pray to Jesus and find healing for your soul. Allow God’s love to heal your soul and work a miracle in your life, transforming all your relationships. Ask God to take away your bitterness and fill your heart with love. It can happen. I have seen it happen.
Invitation to Communion
This morning together with Christians around the world, we celebrate the Risen Christ. All are welcome at this table.
With Grace and Peace, Amen.